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Wednesday, 22 October 2014

BRIAN STODDART - A MADRAS MIASMA

Synopsis/blurb……

Madras in the 1920s.
The British are slowly losing the grip on the subcontinent. The end of the
colonial enterprise is in sight and the city on India’s east coast is teeming
with intrigue. A grisly murder takes place against the backdrop of political
tension and Superintendent Le Fanu, a man of impeccable investigative methods,
is called in to find out who killed a respectable young British girl and dumped
her in a canal, her veins clogged with morphine.

As Le Fanu, a man
forced to keep his own personal relationship a secret for fear of scandal in
the face British moral standards, begins to investigate, he quickly slips into
a quagmire of Raj politics, rebellion and nefarious criminal activities that
threaten not just to bury his case but the fearless detective himself.

The first Detective
Le Fanu Adventure, A Madras Miasma, tells a classic tale of murder, corruption
and intrigue with a sharp eye on British colonial politics and race relations.
It is a story that, like its main protagonist, has its heart firmly in the
right place.

Praise for A Madras
Miasma:

"As one would
expect from a distinguished Australian academic who has written and lectured on
the subject of Indian history, the background is effortlessly convincing. In Le
Fanu, Stoddart has created a character with huge potential for development,
both as a person and as a witness to momentous historical events. In purely
technical terms, the plotting of the book is as impressive as the narrative
style, and the description of the bloody end to the industrial protest is as
gripping as anything I have read in a long while. The ending is very clever
without being showy, and I will certainly be on the lookout for the next
chapter in the career of Christian Jolyon Brenton Le Fanu, MC." - Crime
Fiction Lover blog.

Brian Stoddart’s
debut novel takes us to India after the First World War. India is fast approaching
a period of upheaval and change as the fledgling nationalist movement starts
agitating for reforms and a greater say in their own affairs. The Colonial
masters are resisting. A dead European woman is discovered in a canal.

I have to be honest and say that I approached the book with
a small bit of hesitation as I’m more used to reading books with a more
contemporary setting. After maybe 10 pages, my doubts were dispelled as
Stoddart’s main character, Detective Le Fanu and his back up, Sergeant
Habibullah quickly drew me into this tale of murder with the subsequent
investigation and life in 1920’s Madras.

Le Fanu, our lead is a veteran of the Great War and is the
most interesting character I’ve spent time with this reading month. He
possesses an inherent decency; a trait particularly apparent in his dealings
with Habi, his underling – a Muslim policeman who he treats almost as an equal.
The unevenness emanating solely from the difference in their ranks, rather than
anything related to colour or religion. The contrast with most of the European elite,
with their casual racism couldn’t be starker. Life amongst the business
community and ruling classes mainly revolves around cricket, golf or drinks at
the club whilst furiously gossiping and complaining about everything,
particularly Le Fanu and his pressured boss, Inspector-General Wilson.

I’m reluctant to elaborate too much on the story, I’d rather
recommend you read it yourselves. It ticked every box for me. Setting,
characters, mystery, pace, resolution – all spot on.

Stoddart’s depiction of Madras and his portrayal of the
disparity in circumstance between the local inhabitants and the elite was
fascinating. It’s a city where few secrets can be kept, and the gossip spreads
faster than the traffic.

Le Fanu, Habi, Arthur Jepson, Wilson, Ro, Virginia Campbell
- interesting characters all of them and strong support for Le Fanu. Some of
the scenes where Jepson and Le Fanu interact and where Le Fanu encounters
Campbell in the early stages of the investigation are humourous and inject some
light relief without ever reducing the narrative to comedy. They were a lot of
fun to read and I would imagine fun to write.

The investigation as it unfolded was enjoyable to follow and
credible. The author balances the pace superbly, getting us to the final
destination quickly enough, but with time to enjoy the scenery on the way;
providing us with details of Le Fanus’ past and present and a possible glimpse
of his future, as well as offering a view of a fascinating time in India’s
history.

The good news is - there is a second Detective Le Fanu book on
its way soon – The PallampurPredicament.

5 from 5

Many thanks to author Brian and Emily at Crime Wave Press for sending me a copy
of this for review. Crime Wave are a small publishing house located in Hong
Kong. They mainly concentrate on mysteries with an Asian flavour, but I believe
are extending their scope in the future. Their website is here.

Brian Stoddart is
an Australian academic with about 15 non-fiction books to his name. There’s a
brief author biography on Crime Wave’s site. Click here.

Moira - treat yourself I don't think you'll regret it! Our of curiosity how big is your TBR then? Do you keep all your books once read or only a selected few? I would love to see a blog post with some photos of your shelves and books. I have a picture in my head of a vast room, walnut-clad floor to ceiling sheves with open fire and various mannequins dotted around the room each attired in a costume from your current read.Perhaps a full-sized billiard table in the middle of the room also.

I wish! I love the idea of the mannequins - well and the rest of it too. I am taking pictures of my slowly emptying TBR shelves, will post when I have enough to boast about! I am very lucky to have a nice home office with a lot of bookshelves in...

Col, this one would resonate with me, no doubt, although I have never been to Madras (now Chennai), the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu. I'm intrigued by the interest non-Indian fiction and nonfiction writers show in setting their novels and books in India. Forster and Kipling spent considerable time in India, I think, before they wrote their India-centric books. In the twenties India was still a long way from full independence though the cracks in the British Raj were already showing.

It would be interesting to get an insider view of Brian's portrayal, albeit you would be looking back across 90 years or so and at an unfamiliar city. I really liked it and left the book feeling I know a bit more about the period and India in particular without having sat through a history lesson.

Synopsis/blurb…… Rennie Beckman is a dishonored ex-cop with only two things on his mind: his new boat, the Triggerfish, and his hot...

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